Images
These lines create the image of a man who is insignificant in contrast to the bustling city around him.
"He is alone, silent and small,/ time flowing through his palms."
These two words emphasize the mood of the city, which is full of people too busy to acknowledge the lives of anyone else around them.
What are "crowded" and "stuck"
"Overcoming the hoots of vehicles/ that people aim at each other as if at war." This device highlights the hostility of the city compared to the calming nature of the old soldier.
Simile
Que Mai uses words such as "alone," "silent," "unconcerned" and "patiently" to set a calming tone towards which subject of the poem?
This symbol is often associated with extreme stress or aging. In the instance of the man, it may indicate to the reader that this man has experienced severe trauma. Most likely, the US-Vietnam war.
What is white hair?
These lines evoke the image of a man who stands out among the crowd despite his composed nature.
"I find him/ standing patiently as an exclamation mark"
These two words, which highlight the speakers observations of the hostile city, act as a contrast to the silent soldier.
What are "aim" and "war"
"And the sharpness of daily life rushing around me" This device compares the intensity of the city to that of a knife or other sharp objects.
Metaphor
This narrative structure is used in the poem so that the reader is learning about the old man at the same time that Que Mai is. This is seen in the recounting of events and changing from only referring to the man as "he" or "him" to "the old soldier" at the beginning of the last stanza.
What is chronological structure?
These two lines of the poem are the first direct indication to the reader that there is an underlying problem afflicting the man. The desire to talk to strangers often indicates a deeper traumatic experience and could possibly be the reason that the man chose this specific job where he is able to talk to strangers who can empathize with his experience.
What are the lines "He takes me, unconcerned about the price./ It seems he only wants someone to hear his voice,"
These three lines add a personality to the man in the poem, which allows the audience to connect with him on a more personable level.
"I sit on the back on his motorbike,/ listening to his story,/ listening to the wind of Truong Son Mountains"
These two phrases highlight the speaker's observations of the serenity of the soldier and how his calmness seems to attract the natural world. Even in a city too busy to acknowledge it.
What are "wind of Truong Son Mountains" and "listening to the Central Highland's sun sing"
"and to bullets, cutting through the days before I was born" This device alludes to the memory of the soldier and acts as the first part of an explanation as to why the man wants his story to be heard.
Personification
This point of view allows the reader to learn about the old soldier the same as Que Mai did. Before it is revealed that the man is a soldier, the reader is able to make their own inferences about the man based on observations given to the reader.
What is the first person point of view?
Appreciating and remembering the stories of people involved in history. This idea is presented in the repetition of the word "listening" as well as the lines "brings faraway raindrops to my eyes;/ the rain carries with it the sweetness of victory,/ the bitterness of the faraway war/ where he permanently carved his name."
What is the theme of The White Time?
These four lines create an image contrasting the subdued demeanor of the man from the bustling city that surrounds him. This indicates to the reader that the man has a deeper story that has affected his life and personality greatly.
"He takes me, unconcerned about the price./ It seems he only wants someone to hear his voice,/ struggling to emerge above the high-rise towers, above the music/ spewing from bars,"
These two words emphasize the lasting impact of the war, even decades later.
What are "faraway" and "permanently"
"and the saltiness of his worry: who will remember Truong Son," This device accentuates the little worry that the soldier has for himself, as he would prefer the world around him be the one looked after.
Rhetorical question
The first stanza ("In winter's drizzling rain... people getting stuck in their own hurry.") establishes this authorial choice, along with the character development. These two authorial choices work together to contrast the patient man who performs the same job every day from the bustling, impatient city life.
What is the setting?
What is a possible reason that the soldier chose to be a motorbike taxi driver?
These lines complete the story of the man and the image created in the poem evokes sympathy from the reader due to the reaction of the speaker.
"The old soldier/ brings faraway raindrops to my eyes;"
The use of these two contrasting words in the poem highlight the difficulty of the man to share his highly personal experiences in the backdrop of the city that will not slow down and allow the man a chance to speak.
What are "struggling" and "spewing"
"The rain carries with it the sweetness of victory,/ the bitterness of the faraway war" This device highlights the conflicting emotions still felt by many of the Vietnamese decades after the American-Vietnamese War
Juxtaposition
What is color imagery?
This feature portrayed prominently throughout the poem is best explained by the fact that this man was a soldier in a highly chaotic and intense war. This shows why he is able to remain so calm in such a busy environment; because he is used to much more intense situations with more on the line.
What is the contrast?